Washington Times: Chinese military taking 'irresponsible actions' toward U.S. forces in Djibouti, intel chief says
The Chinese military is guilty of “irresponsible actions” toward American forces stationed at Djibouti’s Camp Lemonnier on the Horn of Africa, a senior U.S. military intelligence officer said.
The home of U.S. military operations in the region and the biggest U.S. base on the continent, Camp Lemonnier is near the People’s Liberation Army’s first overseas military base, and the proximity has been a continuing source of tension.
Rear Adm. Heidi Berg, director of intelligence at the U.S. Africa Command, told a small group of African-based journalists in a telephone media roundtable that China tried to “constrain international airspace” by barring aircraft from flying over the Chinese military base, flashed ground-based lasers into the eyes of American pilots and deployed drones designed to interfere with U.S. flight operations.
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.... Adm. Berg said Djibouti, as the host nation for the U.S. and Chinese bases, needs to “focus on maintaining their sovereignty” in the face of strong economic leverage from Beijing. China, she said, “currently holds over 88% of Djiboutian debt, and that is a concern.”
She said Chinese military and security engagement have increased significantly on the continent in the past five years and warned that the U.S. was falling behind in trade.
“China [has been] the principal trade partner in Africa since 2016. They’ve tripled their loans since 2012, and Beijing is the major debt holder for multiple sub-Saharan African governments. Since 2014, we’re estimating over $172 billion worth of investments in loans,” she said.
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